Escapement for timepieces.



PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904.

A. J. BUTTS. ESOAPEMENT FOR TIMEPIEOES.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 14, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

INVE/YTOR N/T/YEJJEJ zi fl m F/6. a

ME News PLTERS cc, man-Lwno. wasmum'cu, u. c

No. 762,682- PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904. A. J. BUTTS.

ESGAPEMENT FOR TIMEPIEGES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1904.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

7/ I! III/1111111111111v/I r I I 4 r 1,W/////////%V/l///////AlllV/////////l///////l////////////// THE wonmsPEYERS co.. PHOTO-L\TFD., WASHINGTON, D. c,

Patented June 14, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED J. BUTTS, OF MANISTIQUE, MICHIGAN.

ESCAPEIVIENT FOR TIIVIEPIECES.

ISZPEUIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 762,682, dated June14, 1904:.

Application filed January 14, 1904. Serial No. 188,962. (No model.)

1'0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED J. BUTTS, of Manistique, Schoolcraft county,Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inINatch-Regulators, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a Watch regulating or balancingmechanism that dispenses entirely with the hair or balance springusually employed in connection with the balance-wheel of awatch, therebyrendering the mechanism less delicate and liable to get out of repairand less expensive to re: pair when any attention is required.

The invention consists generally in utilizing the power of themainspring to impart an oscillating movement to the balance mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a plan view of the balance mechanism, showing the position of theregulating device. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the mechanism formoving the balance-wheel segments toward or from each other to regulatethe speed of the watch, the view being taken substantially on the line00 w of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line y y ofFig. 4. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2 z of Fig. 3.Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the regulating mechanism on the line ww of Fig. 1.

In the drawing Fig. 4, 2 represents a suitable case wherein themechanism of the watch is arranged.

3 is a train of gears through which power is transmitted from themainspring (not shown) to a gear 4, loosely mounted on a stud 5 near onewall of the case and having its teeth in mesh with pinions 6 and 6,secured on shafts 7 and 7, that are mounted in hearings in the wall ofthe case and in a plate 8, provided within said case. A pinion 9 on thehub of the gear 4 meshes with an adjacent gear-wheel of the train 3 andtransmits the power through the Wheel 4 to the pinions 6 and 6.

Secured on the shafts 7 and 7* near their upper ends are escape-wheels10 and 10, and between the said escape-wheels and engaging the teeththereof is a double escape-lever or pallet 11, secured on a shaft 12,that is supported at its lower end in the stud 5 and extended up throughthe plate 8 to a point near the upper wheel of the casing. Theescapelever or pallet 11, as shown in Fig. 3, is provided with twoinwardly and outwardly turned points 13 and 14, arranged diagonallyopposite each other and engaging the teeth of the escape-wheels, therebeing an inwardly and an outwardly turned point on the escape-lever foreach escape wheel. In Fig. 3 the inwardly-turned points are shown incontact with the teeth of the escape-wheels, the said teeth being on thepoint of passing out of contact with the lever. The engagement of theteeth with the inclined surfaces on the ends of the inwardly-turnedpoints of the escape-lever will swing the said lever in one directionand impart a corresponding movement to the shaft 12. Then when theseteeth pass out of contact with the inwardly-turned points other teethwill engage the outwardly-turned points of the escape-lever andoscillate it in the other direction, and this movement will becontinued, the power of the mainspring transmitted through theescape-wheels imparting a constant oscillating movement to theescape-lever and its shaft.

The upper end of the shaft 12 is mounted in a bracket 15, and across-head 16 is secured on said shaft and provided with depending pins17, that are suspended between the prongs of forks l8 and 18 that areadjustably mounted, by means of slots 19 and setscrews 20, on the shanks21 of semicircular segments 22 and 22. These segments have slots 23,adapted to receive boxes 24, carrying pins 25, that are mounted inplates 26 and brackets 27 and form pivots for the oscillating segments.

I prefer to make the segments adjustable on the said boxes by means ofclampingscrews 28, that extend through the shanks of the segments acrossthe slots therein and have the effect of drawing the sides of the slotstogether and clamping the boxes therein. By

loosening these screws the segments can be easily moved back and forthtoward or from each other, according to the adjustment desired.

The plates 26 have flanges 29, that are slidable in grooves provided inguides 30, that are secured to plate 8. A regulating-lever 31 is looselymounted on a hub 32, secured to the plate 8 and concentric with theshaft 12. The lever 31 has a slot 81 in its hub of suflicient size toallow it to be slipped onto the shaft above the hub 32. The removal orinsertion of the lever is thus permitted without affecting the otherconnections. hen, however, the lever has been dropped down over the hub32, its disengagement from the shaft is prevented, though it is free tooscillate horizontally with respect thereto. The lever is connected oneach side of said'hub with the plates 26 by pivotal links 33. The otherend of the lever 31 terminates in a pointer or indicator-hand that ismovable over a scale 84 to move the oscillating segments toward or fromeach other to increase or decrease the length of the are describedthereby and regulate the speed of the movement. Pins 35 are provided inthe plate 8 upon each side of the forks 18 and 18 to limit theoscillation of the same.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the power ofthe mainspring is applied to both of the escape-wheels and from thenceto the double escape-lever or pallet to oscillate or rock the shaft fromwhich the balance-Wheel segments are operated. With this arrangement thepower exerted to operate the shaft isuniform in both directions, and inthis respect the mechanism is an improvement over the ordinary escapement where the balance-wheel is moved in one direction by the power ofthe mainspring and returned by the weaker hair-spring.

I claim as my invention 1. An escapement mechanism for watches,comprising two' escape-wheels, a gear-train connected therewith andoperated from the mainspring, and a shaft between said escapewheels, adouble pallet or escape-lever secured on said shaft and having its endsin engagement respectively with the teeth of said escape-wheels, two ofthe diagonally opposite ends of said pallet being outwardly turned andthe other two inwardly turned, and a balance mechanism connected withsaid shaft and operated through the oscillation thereof.

2. The combination, with an oscillating shaft, of a cross-head securedthereon, pivoted segments provided near said cross-head, forksadjustably mounted on said segments and arranged to be engaged andoperated by the oscillation of said cross-head.

3. The combination, with an oscillating escapement-shaft, of across-head having depending pins secured thereon, pivoted balancewheelsegments arranged near said cross-head, forks adjustably mounted on saidsegments and arranged to straddle said pins respectively, and means forlimiting the oscillating movement of said forks.

1. The combination, with an oscillating escapement-shaft, of across-head having depending pins secured thereon, sliding plates,balance-wheel segments pivoted on said plates, forks mounted onsaidsegments and arranged to straddle said pins respectively and beoscillated thereby, and means for moving said plates toward or from eachother, for the purpose specified.

5. The combination, with a vertically-arranged oscillatingescapement-shaft, of a cross-head secured thereon, sliding platesprovided near said cross-head, balance-wheel segments pivoted on saidplates and adjustable on their pivots toward or from each other, forksmounted on said segments and adapted to straddle pins on saidcross-head, a lever loosely mounted on said shaft and having a pointermovable over a suitable scale, and links pivotally connecting saidplates with said lever upon opposite sides of said shaft, substantiallyas described.

6. The combination, with an oscillating escapement-shaft, ofbalance-wheel segments pivotally mounted on slidable supports near saidshaft, a mechanism for causing the oscillation of said segmentssimultaneously with the movement of said shaft, and means for movingsaid segments toward or from each other to Vary the length of the arcdescribe thereby, for the purpose specified.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of January,1904:.

ALFRED J. BUTTS.

In presence of- R-IcirARD PAUL, M. HAGERTY.

